Mr Justice's Lullaby
by xIrelandx
Summary: UPDATED: Formatting issues fixed! / Once Apollo is old enough to leave the system (and is officially declared a competent guardian by the courts), he takes his half-sister Trucy into his care.
1. Chapter 1

Apollo was about eight when Trucy was born and the two were, subsequently, left at an orphanage. He'd always thought it really rude of his mother – or rather, of his grandfather, as he'd learned when he got older – to wait so long to dump Apollo off. He wouldn't trade his sister for the world, of course – Trucy meant the world to him. It was just that, well, being left off after having accumulated so many memories of his family?

He wasn't even allowed to keep his original name, and he could hardly remember what that was now, only that his surname had been Gramarye. His mother and grandfather changed his name before signing the papers. His and Trucy's names had been picked at random, from the front page of a newspaper. He'd wanted to chuck the name, official leave behind any ties to those people who abandoned him, but he hit a mental block whenever he tried to think of something better. At least _Apollo Justice_ made him stand out when nothing else did.

He'd had a couple foster homes, though not many, and no one ever wanted to adopt him. He'd only gone along for the ride, refusing to leave Trucy on her own. "We're a package deal," he'd tell prospective parents coldly. The people at the home could only shake their heads apologetically. Everyone wanted to adopt the adorable baby girl, but of course no one wanted her sulky older brother.

Trucy had remained hopeful that one day, their mother would come back for them. Apollo's cynical take on the matter didn't deter her – though some days, it did frustrate her. She'd threatened a few times to simply beg the next family that came to take her in without him coming along. In the end, though, she'd found it impossible to leave him. "Come rain or shine, Polly," she'd tell him. "You're my brother. You're all I have."

Apollo never told her he was only her half-brother. It never came up in conversation, and it never mattered.

Trucy was adamant about becoming a magician. Apollo, perhaps because of the ridiculous last name given to him by – well, by _them_ – was adamant on becoming a lawyer. Or, well, something to do with law. Maybe a guardium ad lightum? He hadn't quite decided yet. He only knew that he'd seen so many people come and go from abusive household to neglectful household, spending as much time in juvenile detention as in school. He just saw so many issues, and he wanted to fix it.

By the time Trucy was ten, Apollo was eighteen and ready to head off to law school. Trucy stuck her tongue out at him, masking her actual worry with childish cheer. "So you're just gonna up and leave me too, huh?"

Apollo shook his head, kneeling down to hug her closely. "No, no, I've just – I've got some things I need to do, okay? I'll be out as soon as I can be. I promise."

And he made good on his promise. Not only did he graduate in record time, land an internship that turned quickly into a job, but he'd managed to do it all with a decent GPA while keeping in contact with Trucy. The only thing he hadn't managed to do was gain "the college experience," as his career counsellors kept putting it.

"Go to a party," on exasperated professor had once begged as Apollo hounded him over the critiques he'd given Apollo on the most recent assignment. The man was losing his hair, easily approaching his fifties, a former prosecutor. The professor took his glasses off to wipe them down again, sweat streaking down his cheeks. "Please, Apollo. Do it for me if you won't do it for yourself – oh, what I wouldn't give to be young again…"

Needless to say, Professor Payne had been more than relieved to see Apollo graduate – though he had been muttering under his breath that he wasn't sure how he'd managed all of this by the tender age of twenty-two. "Apollo is an enigma," he'd written in his reference for Apollo's internship. Apollo wasn't sure if he was meant to take it as an odd compliment or an odd insult.

But it didn't matter. None of it mattered anymore. He didn't even care that as he stood on that platform, looking out at all the parents and professors seated in neat rows, he had no one there to cheer him on. Not even Trucy – but that was okay. She was finishing up middle school, probably in exams even as Apollo's mind raced on about the future, and how he'd gotten where he was now.

He'd made it – graduated, got the badge, got the job working for Kristoph Gavin, and was on his way to those papers, those courts to get his little sister back. And everything was going to be perfect.


	2. Chapter 2

Trucy was apprehensive, twiddling her thumbs and resisting the urge to chew on her nails as she waited outside of the orphanage with her bags. It had been four years since she'd seen her brother Apollo in person. Would he even look the same, after all that time? Would he be taller, his shoulders broader, hair completely different? What if he was angrier now than he had been as a kid, or too serious and mature to indulge her "silly fantasies," as he'd called them when she interrupted his study?

"Trucy?" She bit her lip, nervously swallowing as she looked up to the man who must be her brother - though his voice was deeper.

Her doubts melted away as soon as she saw him. Despite the vocal alteration, Apollo was exactly the same. Well, not exactly; his acne had cleared up, and the bags under his eyes had deepened. Trucy had to wonder when his last good sleep - and last good meal - was. But other than that, Apollo was still the same horn-wearing, red-clad dork who was maybe two heads taller than Trucy, if that.

"Polly!" she squeaked, running and embracing her brother in the tightest of hugs. Apollo squeezed back, bending his knees slightly to better match her height.

"Hey, Trucy," he mumbled. "How was school?"

She shrugged. "Boring. How's law?"

"About the same, at the moment." Apollo crossed his arms to the best of his ability. That "stupid bangle" he'd always hated (but Trucy refused to let him throw away - not that he knew how to get it off) prevented him from crossing them all the way. With his shoulders a little slumped, he looked even more like the brother who left her four years ago: awkward, uncomfortable in adult clothes and unsure of himself. His tie was off-kilter, peeking out of his vest. He uncrossed his arms and fiddled with it, straightening it out of anxiety more than anything else, as his efforts had very little effect.

"Let's get going!" Trucy said with a bounce, grabbing one of her bags in one hand, and Apollo's right arm in the other.

Apollo's car was small, red (of course) and beaten up. He'd bought it second-hand off of a professor who'd decided to go the economic route by taking city buses. Apollo wasn't sure he bought the excuse, as the man seemed rather sad to see the car go, but Apollo couldn't really afford to question the car's capabilities. It ran just fine, and he never really needed to go very far.

"My - erm, our place - it isn't too far away," Apollo's hands twitched on the steering wheel. "I wanted to make sure you could still go to school with all the same people. So, you know, you wouldn't have to make new friends."

Trucy's stomach sank. She looked out of the passenger's side window. "Thanks, Polly!" If Apollo hadn't been distracted by the road and his own nerves, he might have noticed the signs of her lying. But it was just as well - Trucy didn't want to worry her brother, not when he had so many other things on which to concentrate. She didn't need to add the little tidbit that she didn't have any friends, that people at school thought she was annoying and a freak.

She tried to get her mind to change the topic. "So what's Mr Gavin like? Is it true his brother's a famous rock star in Germany?"

Apollo laughed and shifted in his seat. "Well, their music is popular in Germany, it's true. I'm not sure I'd call Klavier famous. Or a rock star."

"Ooh, first-name basis?" she teased.

"Well - yes. Klavier and I did..." Apollo paused, not sure how to broach the subject with his sister. He licked his lips. It could be avoided for now. "We went to the same high school, Truce."

She touched a finger to her lip thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah," she said. "So! Is his brother hip, too?"

Apollo shook his head. "Kristoph - that is, Mr Gavin - is a lot serious. But then, he is an older brother." Apollo reached out and quickly mussed Trucy's hair. She gasped, batting his hands away. "That's kind of what we're here for - to be serious in light of the antics of our younger siblings."

Trucy stuck out her tongue. Then, before strained silence could take hold again, she asked, "Do you wanna hear about my new magic trick?"

It was a rhetorical question, because she was going to tell him anyway, but Apollo answered with vigor anyway. He might have been a little annoyed by the illusions when they were younger, but that didn't mean he had to be rude about them. Besides, he'd do anything to keep her talking and postpone the silence.

They reached the small complex quickly enough, and Apollo refused to let Trucy carry her bags. Subsequently, she took the keys from him and ran up the three flights of steps to get to their particular apartment. It was...tiny. There was a living room, a kitchen, one bathroom and one bedroom. The couch in the living room doubled as a pull-out bed where Apollo had obviously been sleeping, and his clothes were shoved into a trunk in the corner of the room.

Apollo rubbed the back of his head. "I know it's not - it isn't great. But this is all I can afford right now," he said quietly. "I'm hoping that once things pick up a little, we can do bet-"

Trucy turned around and squeezed him. "I've never had my own room before, even in those homes we stayed at." She pulled away, a genuine smile on her face. "Thanks, Polly," she said earnestly.

Apollo blushed, patting her on the shoulder as she let go of him. "You're - uhm, you're welcome. Now, how about we go down to that noodle stand? I don't really have any food in the house at the moment, but Mr Eldoon always gives me a discount."


	3. Chapter 3

Trucy was nervous, at first, around Guy Eldoon's noodle cart. It was parked, at the moment, right outside of the man's house. He was an odd little man - his hat seemed to be a bowl, and his hair resembled Ramen. He looked angry, even when greeting Apollo in a friendly manner. Mr Eldoon didn't need to be told what to make - he just started.

"So," Apollo began, "Why are you in summer school?"

Oh, right. Trucy should have expected this question, given how grade-happy Apollo always was. "Well," Trucy began, but she was caught off-guard. The two had been joined by a stranger in a hoodie and sandals. His hair was dark and unbelievably spiky - why go through all that trouble on hair when you were dressing like a hobo anyway?

Apollo's attention was taken as well, and soon was caught. The stranger with pretty brown eyes turns and smiled thinly - no, smirked - at Apollo before facing forward again.

"Polly?" Trucy called. "Polly, do you know him?"

Apollo shook his head. "No getting out of this question, young lady -"

But there was a way out, as Eldoon placed two bowls in front of them. Trucy clapped her hands in over-exaggerated enthusiasm, and Apollo rolled his eyes. The two ate in silence, only distracted from their noodles when the stranger stood up.

"Have a nice evening," he said, shoving his hands back in his pockets. His eyes were on Apollo, though they flickered down to Trucy before he slunk away.

"Y-yeah, you too," Apollo called.

Trucy gave Apollo a look of confusion. "Are you sure you two don't know each other? He was staring at you an awful lot."

Apollo shook his head, his stomach sinking. All things considered, this part of the state was a lot safer for... well, people like him. But there were always going to be assholes and creeps and people who thought his very existence was a sin. He just hoped nothing bad would happen to Trucy because of him. Apollo set his bowl down without finishing it, staring off into space with worry.

"Done!" Trucy chirped, gulping down the last of the broth.

"Good girl," Eldoon said in his gruff voice. Apollo took out his wallet, but before he could even ask how much he owed, the man put his hand out with his palm facing outward. "No need for that, sonny-boy. Mr Wright already paid for you."

"Mr...Wright?" Apollo asked, wondering if he heard correctly.

"Yep," Eldoon huffed, wiping down the counter with a rag. "Man in the hoodie who just came by. Normally he wears suits, but on the weekends he looks like a bit of a bum."

Apollo didn't know what to say, thanking Eldoon and standing up to leave. Trucy followed, hands clasped behind her back as she skipped to catch up. "I think someone might have a little crush on you," she sang.

"Don't be ridiculous." Apollo was blushing slightly and thanking the dark setting around them for hiding the color. "And I told you - I don't know him."

"Aw come on, Polly!" She gripped his arm tightly, bouncing slightly and making Apollo stop in his tracks before she tripped him. "You never know - he could be your Mr Right!" She laughed at her own joke.

"What even makes you think I like guys, huh?"

Trucy frowned, dropping his hand. Apollo managed to get a few steps ahead of Trucy before she caught up. She started walking backwards so that she could look up at him and glare. "So what were you and Clay then, huh, if you weren't boyfriends?"

Apollo sputtered. "What? No! No! Clay and I are just friends -

Trucy narrowed her eyes. "Uh-huh, that's why you went to prom together."

"We were both going stag," Apollo grumbled. "Better hanging out with each other than sitting in a corner, bored and alone."

"Whatever," Trucy sighed. "I got math homework to do, and you have a boyfriend to look up!"

"Trucy!" he snapped, but she was giggling and running from him. He didn't bother trying to catch up, using the momentary silence to wrack his brain.

_Mr Wright...where have I heard that name before?_


End file.
